A Voter Guide for the 79th Assembly District Special Election Primary
Now that Shirley Weber has left the California Assembly to succeed Alex Padilla as Secretary of State, voters in the 79th District ---covering East San Diego in an arc starting in Mission Valley and ending in Otay Mesa -- will be choosing a replacement.
Weber was first elected to the 79th District seat in 2012. She’s never been seriously challenged since then, winning in general elections over Republican and American Independent challengers by 20+ point margins.
The 79th Assembly District has more than twice the number of registered Democrats to Republicans, 45%-22%. In 2020, she was reelected over Republican John Moore by nearly 31 points.
Ballots were mailed to every registered voter in the district and people are already casting ballots. The top two primary concludes on April 6th. Should no candidate get more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held on June 8th.
It’s my estimate that three of the five candidates have a shot at making it past the primary, including --gasp!-- a Republican running in a district where the outgoing Democratic Assembly member has regularly won re-election by nearly a two to one margin in recent years.
The candidates, along with links for further information (where available), are:
Aeiramique Glass Blake (D), Restorative Justice Consultant
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements | Fundraising
Leticia Munguia (D), Labor & Community Organizer
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements | Fundraising
Shane Suzanne Parmely (D), Public School Teacher
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements | Fundraising
Akilah Weber (D), Doctor/La Mesa Councilmember/Educator
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements | Fundraising
Marco Contreras (R), Small Business Owner
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements | Fundraising
Behind the scenes there is a proxy battle going on via the top two (in terms of fundraising) Democratic candidates; it’s between Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (backing Leticia Munguia) versus State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (backing Akilah Weber).
Although the overlap in their tenures was brief, some say tensions between these Democratic powerhouses goes back to when Atkins was on the San Diego City Council and Gonzalez was Secretary-Treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Central Labor Council.
Both women have profoundly influenced local politics in recent years, and their support is considered crucial for up and coming candidates for elected office.
Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez began openly campaigning for the termed out position at California Secretary of State three years ago, and had already raised $360,057 for the 2022 election.
Then, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed former CASOS Alex Padilla to fill Kamala Harris’ seat in the US Senate and named then-Assembly member Shirley Weber to replace him. Gonzalez was reportedly less-than-thrilled about having her path up the political food chain blocked and is now running for reelection to the Assembly.
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La Mesa Council member Dr. Akila Weber was first to announce for her mother’s old seat, and she’s widely considered to be the front runner in the contest. She is the San Diego Democratic party’s endorsed candidate and is being backed by the California Nurses Association.
There is widespread speculation that Assmb. Gonzalez encouraged Leticia Munguia, a Latina labor organizer who works for AFSCME District 26, to run for the seat. Whatever. Munguia is campaigning like she’s in it to win it. She’s gained the support of the California Latino Legislative Caucus and numerous progressive activists.
Candidate Shane Suzanne Parmely -- a classroom teacher at SDUSD’s Bell Middle School-- has been endorsed by the California Teachers Association. Thus far the powerhouse union hasn’t spent significantly on the race. I know her through my participation in various activist groups; she is the real deal.
Restorative Justice advocate Aeiramique Glass Blake (aka Meeka), has a long history of involvement with activist organizations and is considered a leader on issues pertaining to racial and social equity, and reimagined public safety. I’ve never met her, but have serious respect for her advocacy on social justice issues over the years.
The local Republican Party’s endorsed candidate is Marcos Contreras. He is the founder of Rancho Customs Brokers, which provides services in the customs and logistics industry. The campaign has been centered around selling him as a product of the American dream and repeating GOP talking points about pandemic reopenings. If Republican voters show up, despite their diminished numbers in the 79th, Contreras could easily make it through to the runoff election.
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Weber and Munguia and Weber have attracted large independent expenditures on their behalf:
Weber:
Frontline Healthcare and Essential Workers Supporting Dr. Akilah Weber for Assembly 2021, Sponsored by Healthcare, Business and Domestic Worker Organizations - Cumulative total as of March 22: $483,245 (TV ads, digital ads)
JobsPAC, a Bi-Partisan Coalition of California Employers - Co- Chaired by the California Chamber of Commerce. Cumulative total as of March 22: $65,292 (live calls, text messages)
Keep California Golden - Funded by California Association of Realtors, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and California Building Industry Association Cumulative total as of March 22: $169,851 (phonebank, mail)
Munguia:
San Diegans for Economic Recovery & Job Creation to Support Leticia Munguia for Assembly 2021 Sponsored by Laborers' International Union of Northern America Local 89 - Cumulative total as of March 22: $181,267 (digital ads, mail)
State Affiliated Cops Independent Expenditure Committee (AKA SAC PAC IEC) - Funded by police associations. Cumulative total as of March 23: $46,780 (mail)
Although candidates have no official say in which independent expenditures are made on their behalf, it’s fair to say that support is an expression of the expectations of the organizations funding those groups.
Many IE/PAC groups make contributions across the board to candidates who they believe will eventually be elected as a means of “getting their foot in the door.”
Still, it makes you wonder just how impactful candidate Weber will be on (for example) workers’ rights legislation, and/or reforms aimed at the correctional system. Similarly, Munguia’s support for reforms aimed at policing (one of Shirley Weber’s strengths) might not be expected to be as robust as her predecessor’s.
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